2:26 am
by thatlittleone
Summary: Why is Gwen up at such a ridiculous time of the morning? I'm sure we'll find out!
1. Chapter 1

2:26 a.m.

This is a ridiculous time to be up.

Honestly. It's still dark outside and there's not even any noise. Not people, cars, birds…nothing.

I am _so_ bored!

So why am I still up? Why have I not gone to bed?

Simple answer is I can't. Believe me I've tried but it's just not possible. I don't even think I'm tired anymore. I mean, I feel like I _should _be sleeping but I just can't, not even when I try my hardest.

It's not like I can even watch TV. Seriously, have you ever seen the programmes they put on at this time of the morning? Even with cable there's nothing worth watching. Believe me, I've checked and the most interesting thing I found was some odd programme about talking vegetables…very weird.

I jump at a noise from the hall and my mind automatically flicks through all the aliens and other bad guys we've fought over the years.

Hence the reason I'm staring at the door when it opens.

"What are you doing up?"

"I could ask you the same Ben."

He smiles softly, "yes, you could."

His voice sends shivers down my spine- god he looks good! I mean really good, With his hair all messy and ruffable. And he's very fit; years of fighting bad guys will do that to you.

"Gwen?" he reaches out and grabs my hand and I suddenly realise he's got a lot closer- when did that happen?

"B-ben" oh great, I'm stuttering, that's real cool.

He doesn't seem to care, stepping even closer and bringing his other hand up to my face, brushing my hair back behind my ear, his fingers lingering where they are and I can't help but sigh, "Ben."

He leans closer and it doesn't take more than a second for me to push myself forwards, and then we're kissing. Both his hands move up to cup my face and I move my hands into his hair. We only break apart when the need to breath becomes evident.

He rests his forehead against mine but I pull away, dragging him over to the couch and crushing his lips back against mine. We lay back, his hands resting on my hips.

2:26 a.m. is a ridiculous time to be up. But seeing as it's the only time me and Ben get to spend alone I think I can deal with it.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: cause I totally forgot it last time

Disclaimer: cause I totally forgot it last time. I own none of this, none. You see all of that down there? Yeah? None of it. Except Arrabella, who is entirely my creation

**And thank you review people, you are all lovely. The talking vegetables were an almost reference to a dream one of my friends told me about ages ago. I might try and get more of them in somewhere. **

**Have to apologise about the time it's taken me to get this up here, but I've had so many ideas in my head and I couldn't decide which to go for. Seriously, I've been through 3 different stories to get to this one. I quite like the result. Not as good as the first but…**

In the Eyes of Babes

Oddly enough it wasn't their grandfather who first caught them. It wasn't even their parents. No, it was in fact their little cousin Arrabella.

It was a Saturday night and they were babysitting Arrabella while her parents were out at a party. Well, Gwen was babysitting, Ben had come along because he saw it as an opportunity to spend some time alone- or was it their wonderful new plasma TV?

They were in the kitchen at the moment, Ben had snuck up on her, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face in her hair. Gwen started and smiled, glad that he couldn't see her face.

"Ben! Not here!" she slapped his arms to no affect as his only reply was to kiss her shoulder, before resting his chin there.

"No, come on Ben, what if Arrabella sees?"

"She's busy watching TV. She won't see anything." He chuckled lightly- Gwen felt it all the way through her body.

She sighed and turned to face him, "you're very optimistic aren't you?" her hands took it upon themselves to travel over Ben's chest and up to his shoulders, one playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.

Ben leant his forehead against hers, "no, just happy to be with you." He kissed her then, and Gwen was powerless to do anything but pull him closer and deepen it.

Arrabella was hungry. She had been watching this programme for a long time, she didn't know _how_ long- she couldn't tell the time- but it must have been a while or she wouldn't be hungry.

Which was why she was currently crawling towards the kitchen. Why was she crawling? Well, she didn't want to be seen, there were aliens everywhere- and she was supposed to be spying on them. She knew her cousins Ben and Gwen were in the kitchen and she had at first thought of calling for them before deciding to get something for herself, she was 6 years old, big enough to get her own food when she wanted it.

She did like Ben and Gwen- they were her favourite cousins- a lot more fun than most of the family that she was stuck with when her parents went out. Only now it seemed the two of them had gone off together- they seemed to do that a lot. She would have to do some investigating into that. But for now, her mission was to get herself some food.

She froze as she entered the kitchen (still on her hands and knees), sure enough her cousins were in there, but they were too busy to notice her. It looked like they were hugging. For some reason Arrabella felt like she was being bad for being there, but she wanted to see what was going on- and she was hungry. Curiosity got the better of her and- like a cat- she crept forward until she was under the table, shuffling round to the left until she could see Ben and Gwen properly.

They were kissing! Arrabella had seen grown ups do that in films and on the tele. She usually thought it was a bit icky (especially when her parents did it) but seeing as it was Ben and Gwen it didn't seem to be wrong. It explained them going off together all the time- they were in love!

Arrabella personally thought it was sweet. And she had just solved her mystery. Now, if only she could complete her first mission…

At that moment they pulled away and Arrabella tensed up, but neither of them moved, merely rested their foreheads together. Arrabella allowed herself a silent squeal, her fists waving in the air in a celebratory dance. Maybe they would get married, with a bit of luck she might even get to be bridesmaid- she was their favourite cousin after all. She made a quick escape back to the sitting room and onto the sofa before either Ben or Gwen realised she had seen them.

She was still hungry.

"Sweetie, you want anything to eat?"

Arrabella practically leapt at Gwen, grabbing onto the bowl of crisps and hugging it too her whilst also trying to hug Gwen's legs, "Yes please!"


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Again, I really don't own it

Disclaimer: Again, I really don't own it. If I did I would have a lot more money than I do. FYI, I don't own pictionary either, although I _may_ own hide and seek… does anyone own hide and seek or can I claim it as mine?

And thank you again to all you lovely people who reviewed. You're so nice! LOL

Rebellion

Out of the two of them, Gwen was never the bad one. No, that had always been bens job. Out of Ben and Gwen, as they had become known, Ben was the bad one, the mischievous one, the one who didn't like to do what he was told.

Ben and Gwen because they spent so much time together- much more than most cousins. Ben and Gwen because they came as a pair now, not as two individual people. Ben and Gwen because they made a notoriously good team, whether it was in Pictionary, charades or hide and seek- and especially in the battle situations that they absolutely do _not _discuss with anyone other than Grandpa Max.

But mostly Ben and Gwen because it fit.

Within this little team it was _Ben_ who was the bad one, _Ben_ who didn't do as he was told, _Ben _who got into trouble with his parents. _Gwen_ was always sensible, reliable, many other 'able' words that only succeeded in annoying her. She was still young, she didn't want to be the responsible one. Which was exactly why she was here, now, sneaking around the streets at midnight.

She had spent the whole day formulating the plan in her head (plus some of the night before). She wasn't supposed to be out on her own past 10 at night, so there she was, rebelling. There was also the fact of where she was heading, but this was a rebellion of a different kind that she didn't intend for her parents to find out about.

Didn't really matter if they caught her in the morning. Because then they'd _know_ that she had broken the rules and it would validate the whole thing.

Or at least that was Gwen's reasoning. Really she was just cold and kind of nervous because it was dark out here and hey, don't the bad guys like to come out at ridiculous times like this?

10 minutes later she was shivering on Ben's bed.

"…Ridiculous you know." He wandered back into the room with two cups of cocoa, placing them down before turning to his wardrobe to find her a spare jumper, "What were you thinking, wandering around the streets at a time like this? It's dangerous. You know that. You could have been hurt."

And Gwen'll be damned if he doesn't know the _exact_ right thing to say to make her feel guilty and loved at the same time.

Ben turns back to face her, handing her the jumper to put on. She says nothing, merely looks up at him.

A slight smile crosses his face and he shakes his head, flopping down onto the bed beside her and drawing her to him. Adding his own warmth to that of the jumper. Ben's not the only one who can push the right buttons with only a look. Gwen finally decides to speak up;

"I wanted to see you."

"At 1 o clock in the morning?!" she can practically _hear_ the raised eyebrow.

"yes, at 1 o clock in the morning." She repeats patiently, "I was trying to prove that I could break the rules. Anyway," she adds before he can butt in "it's your fault. You're the one who said I couldn't be bad."

"Well you can't."

"I just did. I'm here now aren't I? And my parents don't know."

"That's a given."

Gwen chooses to ignore him, "and when I sneak back in the morning they'll be none the wiser."

"It's morning now," Ben murmurs into her neck.

Gwen sighs and leans back into his arms, curling her legs up so that they're both fully on the bed, "Do you want me to go then?"

"no."

It's a firm answer and all the encouragement she needs. Turning around in his arms she kisses him, pushing herself as close as she can get. Ben gives as good as he gets, wrapping one arm around her waist and pushing a hand into her hair, he lays down on the bed, pulling Gwen with him before gentling the kiss.

When they break away (both gasping for air) Gwen snuggles down, burying her face into Ben's chest and wrapping an arm around him. She can feel his smile as he kisses the top of her head before reaching over to turn the lamp off.

"Alright. I'll let you stay the night."

Gwen laughs and he can feel it through the fabric of his top. Reluctantly he pulls away, loving the small groan that Gwen tries and fails to smother, only to pull the blanket up around them both. He pulls her tighter to him and relishes in the calm silence, letting it wash over them as they both fall into sleep.

"Ben?" a small voice whispers

"mmm?"

"am I a rebel?"

A laugh is the only reply she gets. He's already fallen asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Escapology

**Escapology**

I've spent, like, the past month trying to write the next chapters of this and I finally get them done when this idea pops into my head. I usually make a point to stay away from specific ages but I'm gonna say early 20s in this one.

_**Disclaimer: **__Please, as if I could?_

Another yawn. Gwen had trouble stifling this one; it had been getting progressively harder as the night wore on. A whole night of _mingling_ and trying to make small talk with a bunch of politicians and other people who were apparently important but who were really just two faced and backstabbing and she really had to get out of here soon or she'd end up snapping at one of them.

"Man, I hate these things." A very familiar and welcome voice stated from next to her, "I can't be sure but I'm fairly certain I've been dragged around to say hello to _everyone_." He snorted a quiet laugh

"You think _that's_ bad? Try spending an hour of engaging conversation with the presidents wife and her friends."

"Eugh!" Ben shuddered, "poor you."

"I'm _so_ bored!" she groaned

"My dear Gwen, boredom does not even begin to cover it. Why do we have to come again?"

"Because these lovely and fascinating people want to thank us for saving them on numerous occasions."

"oh."

"I'm also fairly certain that they want to talk some kind of business with us but I haven't been paying enough attention. You?"

"When do I ever?"

"Good point." She turned her head suddenly to look at him, taking in his expensive tux that made him look _very_ handsome. He'd been surrounded by pretty girls all evening, as well as some of said pretty girls mothers who had Ben picked out as their new son- in- law. She wasn't the jealous type but she suddenly craved some alone time with her boyfriend (_secret_ boyfriend). Putting her glass down she slid along the table to stand next to him, linking her arm through his and resting her cheek on his shoulder so that she could loom up at him, "hi."

"Hello." The slight upwards curve of the corner of his mouth showed he was trying not to laugh.

"Lets get out of here."

He _did_ laugh then; although he kept it quiet so as not to draw attention to either of them, "I am shocked! Gwendolyn Tennyson, suggesting we sneak out of an important engagement?"

"It's not that important!" even after all these years she still couldn't help the slight twinge of annoyance at Ben's teasing; it was her natural reaction to argue with him, even if she was in love with him, "Come on Ben! It's not like any of them are going to miss us."

"In case you hadn't noticed this whole night is _about_ us."

"Doesn't mean they'll notice. They've spoken to us, they've said their bit and why am I having to talk you into this?"

"You're not. I was in agreement from the start. I'm just amazed that you suggested it first."

"Yes well. If I had to speak to one more spoiled brat who thinks he can buy my affections I'm going to scream."

"In that case…can't have any other guys talking to my girl now can we?"

She pulled away to show him she was offended by that remark- and to hide the smile that was threatening to show itself, "_You're _girl?"

"Yes. Even if I have to hide it." He caught up and laid a hand gently on her back, leading her towards the doors, "So, you want a Chinese or something?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

If anyone noticed that they'd gone they never complained about it, and if the people in the Chinese takeaway they ended up in were confused by the young couple that entered wearing a tuxedo and a very expensive looking dress they never mentioned it.

And if Grandpa Max happened to notice the two of them sneaking off and had followed to say something and had seen them kissing in the empty foyer of the hotel… well, he would have his say later.


End file.
